Why marketers shouldn’t follow Unilever’s plans to work with ’20 times’ more influencers just yet

But before marketers consider doing so, they need to remember that the creator economy isn’t just another media channel but an ecosystem all its own with potential hazards along the way.

“Unilever gets it when they say ‘influencers are the voices that matter’ [in an interview in March] — but brands need to tread carefully,” said CJ Daniel-Nield, founder of digital agency Planes. “These creators will demand more freedom, and brands will have to find creative ways to collaborate.”

Seven creator execs told Digiday that brands that prioritize building robust infrastructure, understanding the risks associated with individual creators and developing strategies that ensure brand safety are notable partners for them.

But even as brands compete for creators’ attentions, they shouldn’t think of a creator personality as equivalent to its brand strategy, said Anton Perreau, president and managing director at social media agency Battenhall.

And while creators can be great at audience building, Perreau said that “they might not always be good at hitting a brand brief.” Sarah Gerrish, senior director of influencer and creator marketing at creative agency Movers+Shakers, similarly acknowledged the sway of high-profile influencers, but also emphasized staying away from “a one-personality-driven strategy.”

“This means our strategies are not dependent on a single influencer’s reach or popularity,” Gerrish added. “We view influencers as strategic amplifiers of a broader creative vision, not as the sole centerpiece of a campaign.”

Creators introducing risk

It’s not just a matter of relying too heavily on a creator as idea rather than a true campaign idea. There are other risks such as reputational damage from influencer missteps. Hitching your brand to a creator means sharing in their popularity as well as their stumbles. Even years after the backlash over Bud Light’s work with Dylan Mulvaney, the industry hasn’t yet shown it can manage the ups and downs of working with influencers well.

“Brands have to do more due diligence,” said Amy Luca, EVP, global head of social at S4Capital and Monks. “At the end of the day, just sending out product and mass sampling, while that does drive purchase and can have a short-term gain, the question brands have to ask is, ‘what is that doing?’”

Amy Cotteleer, chief experience officer at agency Duncan Channon, added: “The liability in working with an influencer is no different than the liability in working on a major brand campaign: Where there are people, and people who are recognizable, there will always be liability.”

A tech playbook for creator programs

Aside from recognizing the risks of working with creators and creator personalities, for some, this moment with Unilever was an indication that the industry is missing key technological tools in order to scale the many creator management, vetting, payment, data analytics and content publishing needs, said Jamie Gutfreund, founder of creator consultancy Creator Vision.

For instance, questions of ownership regarding creator data are unanswered with both brands and agencies wondering if they own it. There’s also been a greater need for standardization of performance metrics and ensuring pay transparency across creators, Gutfreund added.

“Success isn’t just about increasing budgets — it’s about establishing the right infrastructure,” Gutfreund said.

In order to handle more volume, some view AI and technological developments such as scaling and automating functions like risk management, creator search or utilizing virtual influencers as the necessary next step in influencer marketing as the industry continues to grow up. And that’s on top of how marketers adapt to changing social media algorithms.

Monks, as an example, is in the process of building an AI prediction tool that analyzes the trajectory and performance of influencers.

“You cannot hire an army of influencer managers,” Luca said. “We are entering the era of technology in AI-driven influencer marketing, because AI agents can do that type of analysis, that type of identification way faster than human influencer managers can.”